Unemployment falls due to rise in self-employment

Unemployment fell by 63,000 in the quarter to January, due to growing numbers of self employed people, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Unemployment fell by 63,000 in the quarter to January, due to growing numbers of self employed people, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Employment between November and January was up 105,000 from August to October 2013 and was due to more self-employed people. The number of employees fell over this period while 211,000 more people took up self employment. Unemployment stood at 7.2%, down 63,000 from August to October 2013 and down 191,000 on the year to 2.33 million for November 2013 to January 2014.

Full-time work also rose. The number of men working full-time increased by 92,000 to reach 14.03 million. The number of men working part-time fell by 7,000 to reach 2.16 million. The number of women working full-time increased by 73,000 to reach 8.08 million. The number of women working part-time fell by 53,000 to reach 5.92 million. Men were more likely to be employed than women, but the unemployment rate for women lower.

Pay including bonuses for November 2013 to January 2014 was 1.4% higher than a year earlier, with pay excluding bonuses 1.3% higher. Average weekly hours worked for November 2013 to January 2014 were down 0.1 hours from August to October 2013 but up 0.1 hours from a year earlier.